EMPLOYEESAWAITACTIONONBUDGET

Local federal employees were enjoying a day off today for the Columbus Day holiday, and, so far, aren't affected by President George Bush's decision to shut down the government until Congress passes a budget.

However, several supervisors of local federal employees who were contacted at home today said they weren't too certain what to expect for the rest of the week.

Bob G. Martin, president of the federal Haskell Indian Junior College, said that only about 30 of the school's 200 civil service employees were on duty today.

Those were residence hall and recreational staff, security officers, and facilities operations and food service employees, Martin said.

"The last word we had on Friday was to wait and see what Congress does," Martin said. "We're going ahead with business as usual tomorrow, unless I hear something different."

MARTIN SAID the school has been told it can operate through Oct. 15 without any need for furloughing employees.

"But that may be rescinded if they (congressional members) don't take action today," he said.

Martin said that the school's 831 students would probably be unaffected by the budget delays in Washington.

"As far as I'm concerned, hopefully we will have some kind of educational exemption to keep it open," he said. "That's happened in the past."

Brian Morray, executive director of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Office, 3010 Four Wheel Dr., said his five employees were off today for the federal holiday.

"We won't know anything until tomorrow," said Morray, who was reached today at home. "Several weeks ago they told us we would be furloughed this Thursday and Friday."

MORRAY SAID it was his understanding that the office's employees would be furloughed two days each week until Congress gets the budget resolved.

The only local federal offices that were answering telephones today were those connected with the military.

Army Capt. Virgil Woolridge, an instructor for Kansas University's Reserve Officers Training Corps program, said today that everyone in his office was working today.

Woolridge said the government shutdown does not affect military employees because military employees are considered essential whether there is a budget resolution or not.

The U.S. Army Recruiting Office and the Marine Corps Recruiting Station, both at 2223 La., were conducting business as usual today. Calls put through to the Navy Recruiting Station, 1424 W. 23rd, were handled by an answering machine.

OTHER FEDERAL offices the Journal-World tried to reach this morning were closed because of the holiday.

The federal offices in Lawrence that could be affected by the government shutdown include the Farmer's Home Administration office, 3010 Four Wheel Dr.; Food Safety and Inspection Service, 4929 W. 15th Ter.; Soil Conservation Service, 3010 Four Wheel Dr.; Haskell Indian School Health Center, on the Haskell Campus; and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Clinton Lake project office.